The Royal Thai Police have detained three Burmese nationals as suspects in the murder of a Burmese migrant, Chaw Nge Nge, on the island of Koh Samui in southern Thailand, Thai media reported on Tuesday.

Dindungtao Sareesuk, the deputy-superintendent of Koh Samui police station, told reporters that the suspects were detained following an investigation based on eye-witnesses accounts and CCTV camera footage on 23 February, the same day Chaw Nge Nge was killed, and that the trio have confessed to involvement in her murder.

According to the police officer, the main suspect, Nang Pum, confessed to paying two other Burmese 30,000 baht (US$1,000) to strangle Chaw Nge Nge to death. Nang Pum was reportedly struck by a jealous rage when the victim refused to date her but instead went out with her younger brother.

Dindungtao said Nang Pum confessed that she and the two paid accomplices – named as Than Than Soe and Ko Zaw– tricked Chaw Nge Nge on Monday night to leave a restaurant and accompany them to a local view point where they tied her up and strangled her to death.

Nang Pum also reportedly confessed to biting Chaw Nge Nge and stripping her naked to make it look like she was raped.

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The victim, who arrived in Koh Samui just one week ago, was reportedly 19 years of age and from Mon State. She had been working on Samui as a housemaid. Suspect Nang Pum worked at a local hotel, Thai media have reported.

The killing of Chaw Nge Nge follows a series of macabre incidents and murders on the trio of popular tourist islands in the Gulf of Thailand – Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.